For Love and Basketball
by DemonessOfPunishment
Summary: Duo Maxwell has just transferred to Gundam High. At his old school, he was the captain of the basketball team, and the star player. Now, he has to adjust to life at his rival school. However, he doesn’t want to be at Gundam High, but back at Oz high.
1. Chapter One

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:**  PG-13 for now  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC (but that's normal for a AU fic)  
**Summary:** Duo Maxwell has just transferred to Gundam High.  At his old school, he was the captain of the basketball team, and the star player.  Now, he has to adjust to life at his rival school.  However, he doesn't want to be at Gundam High, but back at Oz high.    
  
Hello! I know I have a lot of stories unfinished, but this idea came to mind and wouldn't leave me alone.  I hope you like it, and I'll update this as well! I'm not letting more stories die.  -___-;;  I will update.  Also, check out some of my other stories.  
  
**Chapter One**  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Outside of Gundam High, a pure black hummer with silver tribal bands down the side, pulled into the student parking lot.  Everyone turned to look at the unknown vehicle.  When the door opened, loud rock music filled the area. After shutting off the truck, the occupant exited the vehicle.   
  
Duo Maxwell grabbed his bag and shut the door.  He stood up tall at 6'2".  His chestnut hair was pulled into a braid that went past his waist, and he wore black sunglasses, covering his wild violet eyes. He had on black baggy pants and his basketball jersey.  The black and green jersey have the words 'Lions' written in big bold golden letters on the front, and the number thirteen with his nickname on the back.    
  
Sighing, Duo headed towards the front doors.  Ignoring the looks from everyone, he walked past and into the school.  Going into the main office, he took a seat, and waited for his name to be called so he could get his classes and locker number.    
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Heero Yuy was sitting outside in the court yard, with his two best friends, Trowa Barton and Chang Wufei.  He wore blue jeans and a green tank top, his lettermen's jacket over that.  His messy chocolate brown hair covered his piercing blue eyes, with the way his head was bent down.  Trowa was in blue jeans as well, and in a blue turtle neck.  His bangs came down, covering one of his deep green eyes.  Wufei was in puffy white pants and a blue shirt, his hair pulled back into a tight ponytail.  
  
All three of them sat there, quietly.  Neither of the three heard of the new arrival.   The only thing the three of them knew was that Duo Maxwell had been expelled from Oz High, and that made them happy, even though they'd never really show it.  All three of them were on the basketball team, and every year they made it to state, only to take second place, with Oz High taking first.    
  
Everyone outside started going in a few minutes before the bell, and Heero, Trowa, and Wufei followed.  Trowa was the tallest of the group, standing at 6'4".  Heero was the second tallest, coming up to 6'2".  Wufei was the shorted, standing at an even six feet.    
  
Once inside, they met up with some other friends of theirs.  Heero walked up to a short blonde girl, her hair falling down to her shoulders.  She looked up at him with her light blue eyes.  "I know something you don't know." She said in low melodic sing song voice.  
  
"What's that women?" Wufei asked.  
  
"You remember number thirteen of the Oz team?" She questioned.  
  
"Yeah, Duo 'Shinigami' Maxwell.  If you're going to tell us he got expelled from Oz, we already know that." Wufei stated.  
  
"Ah, but did you know that he's transferring to this school?" She asked confidently.    
  
"Why dose it matter, Sally?" Heero asked. "I seriously doubt that he'll want to be on our basketball team."  
  
"You never know." Sally said.  "But could you imagine, we'd be unstoppable with him on the team!"  
  
"He's not going to want to play for his once rival team." Trowa said softly.    
  
"I don't even think they'll let him on the team.  I mean, we're already into the season." Wufei stated.  The small group headed for their first period class.    
  
"I'm sure he could be convinced.  I mean, he's likes the best player ever!" Sally stated.   
  
"He's not that great." Heero said.  
  
"Heero, he can make a shot from half court! Even you have trouble doing that!" Sally said. "And have you seen how tall he is?!" She said, smiling. "You know what they say about the tall ones....unless of course you're Wufei." She said, then took off running.  
  
Growling, Wufei took off after her. "I'll get you for that onna!"  Shaking their heads, Heero and Trowa walked behind them.    
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo sat in the principal's office.  He had his sunglasses sitting atop his head.  He had been sitting there since a little after the first hour started.  Sighing, Duo shut his eyes, thinking pf a way to go back to Oz High.  He hated, no, he loathed the fact that he was the one who had to switch schools.   
  
"It was just a petty fight..." Duo muttered to himself.  He looked up when the principal walked into the room.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Maxwell.  I'm Dr. J." The man said. "I'm the sub-principal while the other one is on leave." He added.  "Now, we've signed you up for the same classes, and, after a little persuasion, I convinced the basketball couch to let you on the team, if you want to, that is."  
  
"I'll think about it." Duo said.   
  
"Alright.  If you want to, just show up to the practice today." J said.  Duo nodded.  "Good.  Now, this is your class schedule, it has your locker and locker combination on it." J  handed the paper over to Duo.  "And these are your textbooks."  J then handed Duo a stack of three textbooks; AP chemistry, AP English, and Calculus. "Are there any questions?"  
  
"No, sir." Duo answered.   He had already been through the school, and knew where everything was.  He'd always sneak away before games and look around.    
  
"Well, that's all then." J said.  "Welcome to Gundam High."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Duo said then left the room, but not after grabbing a pass from J.  He looked to see what class he had first, and saw it was AP chemistry.  When he got to his locker, he got it opened, and shoved everything but a pen, notebook, the chemistry textbook, and the calculator.  He shoved the items into his bag, which also held his lucky basketball.  Shutting the locker, he headed to chemistry room.    
  
In the classroom, Mr. Darlian was teaching the class when Duo entered.  "Ah, Mr. Maxwell, so nice of you to join us." Mr. Darlian said in his usually cheery voice, causing a few students to snicker.  Rolling his eyes, Duo handed him the pass.  "Well, I see J wanted to make sure you didn't get in trouble on your first day."  
  
"Whatever..." Duo muttered.    
  
"Well, Mr. Maxwell, you can take the seat next to Mr. Winner." Mr. Darlian said, pointing to Quatre.  Duo nodded, and headed to the seat.  As he walked, he received glares from of some the cheerleaders and basketball players.  He ignored it.  When he took his seat, Mr. Darlian picked up where he left off in his lecture.    
  
"Hello, I'm Quatre." He blonde next to Duo said softly, offering a friendly smile.  
  
"Name's Duo."  
  
"You know, you wouldn't receive so many glares if you didn't wear your old jersey." Quatre pointed out.  
  
"I know.  But I don't really care what they think." Duo stated.  "I'm an Oz Lion all the way, and they're just gonna have to deal with that." He added with his normal cheery grin.    
  
Quatre shook his head, smiling.  "Well, I'm sure they'll warm up eventually.  You already have something in common with them."  
  
"Yeah, but, they can't hold a shot next to me." Duo commented.  
  
"I know.  There's only one person who can make a shot from half court, and that's Hero Yuy." Quatre said.  "And even he has trouble with that."  
  
Duo shrugged.  "I've been playing since I was two....well, I tried playing hen I was two."

Quatre nodded. "So, why are you here at Gundam High?"  
  
"Got into a fight with a teammate, he spent a week in the hospital, I was expelled." Duo's eyes darkened as he explained.  "It was his own damn fault."  
  
"So, no more basketball for the rest of the year?"  
  
"J said I could play here if I wanted too."  
  
"Are you going to?"  
  
Duo shrugged.  "Not sure.  I mean, I would be great to be able to focus more on my studies, but I love the game too much."  
  
"Well, I'm sure the team would love to have you." Quatre said.  When the bell rang, they stood, and Duo got a good look at Quatre.  He had brilliant aquamarine eyes, and light blonde hair,  He stood at around 5'7".  
  
"Gods, you're short." Duo commented.  
  
"No, you're just tall." Quatre stated.  
  
"Nope.  You're short." Duo said, smiling.  He left the room with Quatre, ignoring all the gossip around him.  "So, what do you have next?"  
  
"P.E.  We're playing basketball, so it's usually the people on the team against everyone else." Quatre said glumly.  
  
"Well, I have P.E. next as well, so things will change." Duo said.  The stopped at his locker first, and Duo dropped his books off.  Then they went to Quatre's locker, where he dropped everything off as well.  They then headed for the locker rooms.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo stood in the gymnasium, wearing his black basketball shorts and a regular white shirt.  He sat down on the first bleacher, and waited for Quatre.  No one else was in the room with him.  Everyone was still in the locker room, no likely talking about him.  He looked over and saw the rack of basketballs.  Sighing, he got up and grabbed on, before going to stab at half court.   
  
Standing there, he looked at the hoop.  Dribbling the ball he moved to the sides, and behind him, waving the ball in and out between his legs, before taking the shot.  He made the shot, the net swaying with movement.  The ball bounced its way back to Duo's feet.  He bent down to pick it up, and saw someone with chocolate brown hair coming towards him.  
  
"You're very good." The boy said.  
  
"Thanks." Duo muttered.  He lined up his shot again, and fired, making it again.  "I'm surprised you're not in with the rest of your team." He commented.  
  
"Why would I be?" Heero asked.  "I know who you are, your reputation.  But you're still a person."  
  
Duo looked over at him, slender eyebrow raised in curiosity.  "Right, and you haven't told this to the rest of them?"  
  
"I have, but they don't listen." Heero said.  He saw Trowa and Wufei walking over to them.  
  
"They don't judge someone by reputation either." He commented.    
  
"I'll keep that in mind." Duo said.  He walked away, dribbling the ball.    
  
Trowa and Wufei made it over to Heero as Duo was walking away.  "So, what's he like?" Trowa asked.  
  
"He doesn't care about us.  He still sees Oz as his school." Heero answered.  
  
"That's normal though." Wufei said.  "So, do you think he'll play on the team?"    
  
"I think he will." Heero said.  "He enjoys playing the game too much."  Heero walked away from his friends and grabbed a ball.  
  
Slowly, second hour, and the rest of the day passed for Duo Maxwell.  He had no homework, and no practice since it had been cancelled for the day, not that he minded.  When he got home, all he did was g out and play basketball, the end to his normal daily routine.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
**Recommended ****Readings****:**

_"Heh, guess you're right." Bakura watched the people inside the house carefully for a few moments before turning back to Ryou and speaking. "I'm from __Egypt__. Prison escapee. They caught me while I was trying to sneak into this country." He wasn't quite sure why, but he felt he could trust Ryou. The gentle and innocent, calm expression in those deep brown eyes created a vortex that drew Bakura to their owner.  **A Warm Heart In A ****Cold****Desert**** by Shori Musei: Yu-Gi-Oh!  
  
_"I told you; Shinigami. The God of Death. Mr. Sunshine himself. Don't look so shocked!"_**_

_"What do you want?"_

_Shinigami grinned, "Your soul."_  **Last Chance by Violet Nyte: Gundam Wing**


	2. Chapter Two

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Shori Musei:** Yup, I did! ^___^   
**Tia:** It's only PG-13 for now.  So there will be drug use, just alcohol, sexual content, and of course there is bad language.  What kind of authoress do you take me for?!   
**Cat Youkai:**  I know...you know me, can't have Duo being stupid ALL the time.  
**Sanzo-Lover:**  I have it down to Duo wither being with Wufei or Heero.  But he'll be uke, not seme.  
**Lisha:** Yup! ^___^  
**LadyDragonWolfKnight:**  ^___^ It was just some weird idea that wouldn't leave me alone, and I thought it was cute, which is why I posted it.  
**Preconqnition74:** I can't promise that I'll update as fast as you want, but I'll try!  
**j:** I'm not sure about the pairing.  
**Blake-Schawarz:**  I know a lot of about the game, but I'm not a big fan of it.  It actually kinda pisses me off then there's a basketball game on more then once a week.  I'm more of a football girl.    
  
**Notes:**  The names for the basketball team members are just made up and they're not part of the actual show.  The first basketball practice is next chapter.  
  
**Chapter Two**  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Duo Maxwell sat in his third hour Calculus class.    He had just gotten through another PE class, and was tried, having not slept well the night before.  He sat there, drumming his pen on the paper.  A few seats in front of him, he could hear two basketball players whispering loudly about him.  Once again, he ignored them.  He smirked; they were in for a rude awakening that afternoon.  
  
The bell finally rang, and Duo grabbed his bag and book.  He walked out into the hall, and headed toward his locker.  He shoved everything into his locker and grabbed a notebook, before heading off to his creative writing class.  He was walking away from his locker and turned the corner when he saw two big guys tormenting someone, who turned out to be Quatre.  
  
Growling, Duo headed to them.  "Excuse me, but can I ask what you're doing to my friend?"  
  
Both boys turned to look at him.  "Hey, you're that Oz crony!" One of them stated.  
  
Duo stared at him.  "Oz crony, is that what we're called now?" He shook his head.  "Look, I'll give you to the count of three to release my friend before I hurt you."  
  
The fatter of the two raised a eyebrow. "What could you possibly do to us?" He asked.  
  
"Simple.  I could drag your fat asses into the girl's room and give you both swrilies." Duo stated.  
  
Both boys laughed loudly, getting the attention of a few people in the hall.  "You couldn't do anything to us small fry." The first one said, releasing his grip on the collar of Quatre's shirt.  The both stumbled towards Duo on their fat legs.    
  
The first boy, who was also the fattest, threw a pouch towards Duo's head.  Duo dodged it, and grabbed his wrist, and pulled down.  The boy fell face first into the carpeted floor.   The second boy went grab a hold of Duo.  However, Duo moved in time and stuck his foot out, causing him to fall atop his friend.  
  
Duo turned back to Quatre, a grin on his face.  "Ready to go to forth hour?"   Quatre got off the floor and nodded.  They both walked off, leaving both boys on the floor, and a bunch of laughing students.    
  
"So, are you going to play for the team?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Yeah.  Had a long talk with my dad about it yesterday." Duo shrugged.  "He said I've been playing for my entire high school life and I've maintained a 3.8 GPA, then there's no reason for me to stop." He shrugged again.  "Besides, I have three scholarships.  Those would get taken away if I don't play."  
  
"Shouldn't those have already been taken away because of your fight?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Ah, I see it doesn't take long for stories to travel from school to school." Duo chuckled.  "It should have, but it was proven that I was acting in self defense, so I got to keep them."  
  
"That's good." Quatre said. "I've got a few scholarships myself, but they're music and academic scholarships."  
  
"You play an instrument?" Duo questioned.  
  
Quatre nodded. "The violin.  It's kind of like my life's passion."  
  
"That's cool." Duo said.  "The only thing I play is basketball."  
  
Quatre chuckled.  "Well, if it's something you enjoy, there's nothing wrong with it."  
  
Duo shrugged.  "So, what do you have next?"  
  
"Wood working..." Quatre grumbled.  "I hate that class!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because...I can't do anything." Quatre said. "And then, I look at Trowa, who sits at the same table, and he does everything with ease, and I can't."  
  
"Trowa Barton? The tall silent guy on the basketball team?" Duo inquired.  
  
"Yeah.  That's the same one."  Quatre said.  "I always want to ask him for help, but he's kind of intimidating. "  
  
"He doesn't seem that bad."  
  
"But he is! He's so quite, and he never has any expression on his face! You go to talk to him, and he doesn't acknowledge anyone." Quatre explained.  
  
Duo chuckled lightly.  "You sound like a love sick school girl." He teased.  
  
Quatre blushed.  "Shut up!" He said, smacking Duo's arm.  
  
Duo laughed again, and they stopped in front of the wood shop room.  "I'll see ya at lunch Quatre." He said.  
  
Quatre nodded. "You better hurry, or you'll be tardy."  
  
"Like I care." Duo said.  "See ya!" He said, leaving.  His creative writing class was on the other side of the building.  He walked at a quick yet lazy pace.  He hummed to himself as he went.  The bell rang as he turned down the hallway to his class.  Other students hurried to their class before they were marked tardy, and Duo was the same way.    
  
By the time Duo got into the room, all the tables were filled except one in the back of the room.  There sat Wufei and a few other people from the basketball team.  He shook his head and headed over to the table, taking the seat next to Wufei.  He didn't pay attention to the looks he got from the other team members.  Wufei however didn't pay much attention to him.  
  
Duo sat there and flipped through his notebook, looking for the assignment from the night before.  He found the page he was looking for and re-read it to himself.  He wasn't very proud of it, but it was enough to at least get a passing grade in his mind.    
  
Their homework the night before was to write a false newspaper article.  He wrote his on the basketball game that was on.  He was disappointed with the output though.  The Spurs had won against the Suns, 98 to 83.  Duo had been routing for the Suns.  Even though he was bummed, you couldn't tell when reading his paper.  It was completely unbiased.    
  
Everyone became quiet when the teacher entered the room.  He walked up to the front of the room and sat down in his chair.  The stern look never left his face as he spoke.  "Pass your papers forward."  He said.  
  
Duo ripped his paper from notebook and passed it to the person in front of him.  Once all the papers were passed up, the class was told to spend the period writing while he graded papers.  Duo sighed and flipped to a new page in his book.  He listened as two of the boys at his table whispered about their team.  
  
Both Duo and Wufei were going irritated with the two boys.  "Shut up!" They said at the same time.  They glanced each other before going back to their work.     
  
"That was weird dude." Said the blonde sitting there.  His name Allen Sparks, number 47 of the team.    
  
"Yeah it was." Said the brunette, Shawn Michaels.  He was number 32 for the team.    
  
Duo sighed, rolling his eyes.  He turned the page in his book and scribbled something down, before ripping it out and passing it to Wufei.  Taking the paper, Wufei read it, smirking at what it said.    
  
Duo had asked, 'Don't those two _ever_ shut up?'   
  
'Unfortunately, no.' Wufei wrote down before passing it back to Duo.  
  
'I guess I'll have to remember the duct tape tomorrow.' Duo has replied.  
  
'Good luck.  They're the two fastest on the team.'  
  
'Doesn't mean I'm not going to try.'  
  
'Good Luck then.  So are you going to join the team?  Howard told us that J said you could if you wanted to, although some of them members weren't very happy about it.'  
  
'I'm still in the process of deciding.'  
  
'Well, you have two more classes to decide.'  
  
'I know.  I just take forever to decide on something.'  
  
'You sound like a friend of mine.  What did you write your article on?'  
  
'The Sun vs. Spurs game last night.'  
  
'I was disappointed in with that game.'  
  
'Me too.  I was routing for the Suns, even when I knew there was know way they could win.'  
  
Duo and Wufei spent most of the class talking to each other, occasionally looking up to make sure the teacher wasn't looking.  When they separated, Wufei went off to meet his friends while Duo went to meet Quatre.


	3. Chapter Three

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Shori Musei: ** ^___^Yup! You update, I update, Tia doesn't update... _   
**Blake-Schawarz:**  I know, it's almost sad.  I know more about the game the friends of mine who watch it on a daily basis... _  
**LadyDragonWolfKnight****:  I fixed it! Glad you noticed...because I never would have noticed it. ^__^*  
**andrea******:  What is wind waker? o_O I'm glad you like it though.  
**Tia:**  That's great Tia.  I know!!! I wrote it!!  And I did inform you of this chapter, in an IM, while you were away.  FFN has no reason to review SPW, and it never will.  
**hanah******:  I'm not sure if it'll be 1x2  
**mar: **I'm still thinking about it.  
**Cat Youkai:**  You should never be allowed near any sharp object.  
**Iruka-Yuywell******:  o_o I noticed you were signed in.    
**  
Chapter Two**  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Duo walked into the gymnasium after school, dressed in his shorts and a shirt.  He went over with his 'lucky' ball and started shooting.  After a long debate with Quatre, he lost, and decided to join the team.  His last class was on hallway over from the gym, and he also had his stuff before going to his sixth hour.    
  
Duo was so busy shooting he didn't notice someone come up behind him.  The figure placed hand on his shoulder.  Duo whirled around, glaring.  The smile returned to his face when he realized who it was.  "Hey Howard."  
  
"Hey Duo.  So, you decided to play for your rival team?"  
  
"Not the rival team anymore if I'm going to be playing on it." Duo grumbled.  
  
"True.  It's stupid that you got expelled from Oz High though." Howard said.  
  
"I don't care.  Even if I hadn't been expelled, I would have transferred.  I can't stand Marquise anymore." Duo said darkly.  "I'll be glad to wipe the floor with him."    
  
Howard chuckled.  "Come on, the rest of the team is still bitching.  My guess is that they can't believe that an Oz player would think of joining." Howard rolled his eyes.   "So I'll play ya in a quick one-on-one."  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Can you keep up old man?" He teased.  
  
"Old?! Who are you calling old?!" Howard questioned.  "I'll have you know, that no matter my age, I'm still better then you in basketball."  
  
"Yeah right!" Duo exclaimed.  "I'd like to see you make a half court shot."   
  
Howard stared at Duo through his sunglasses.  "Okay, so you're the better basketball player."  
  
"Damn right I am." Duo grinned.  
  
Howard rolled his eyes.  Glancing at the clock, he sighed.  "I better go get the team from the locker room, or they get to run laps."  Howard left, smiling.  One his way out he passed Heero, Trowa, and Wufei.  Duo watched Howard leave before shooting again.  The three of them stood by the bleachers, watching Duo.    
  
Duo had noticed them out of the corner of his eye.  "You know, instead of standing there, you can always grab a ball and shoot." Duo said to them.     
  
Wufei glanced at Trowa and Heero before going to the rack of balls and grabbing one.  He went up to the free-throw line where Duo was and began shooting.  Heero and Trowa followed.     
  
They continued shooting for fifteen more minutes, before stopping for a small break.  They headed over to the bleachers, and Duo grabbed his water bottle, gulping down the clear liquid.  Heero sat down next to Duo, then Wufei, then Trowa.    
  
"So what changed you mind about playing?" Wufei asked.  
  
Duo shrugged.  "I enjoy the game too much to stop just because I'm on a different team."  
  
"So you'll stay play your hardest, even on this team?" Heero questioned.  
  
Duo nodded.  "Yup, besides, I'm looking forward to the first game so I can ram Zechs into the pole." He said grinning.  
  
"What happened between the two of you?" Trowa asked.  "You seemed like such good friends."  
  
Duo rolled his eyes.  "He's a backstabbing blonde bimbo with no brains." He growled.    
  
"Did he get expelled from Oz like you?" Heero inquired.  
  
"No.  He started the fight, but I did more damage." Duo said, shrugging.  
  
"Why does that matter?" Wufei asked.  
  
"I shouldn't, but at Oz, they go by whoever does more damage.  Besides, they weren't going to expel both of their star players." Duo commented.    
  
"If they didn't want to lose the best player, they picked the wrong person to keep." Heero stated.  
  
"I know.  But if they don't want me, then they can't have me." Duo stated.  He grabbed his ball and went back out into the court to the half way point.  He began shooting again, making flawless goal after flawless goal.    
  
"How can you do that with out any problems?" Trowa asked.  
  
Duo shrugged, shooting again.  "It's just like shooting from the free throw line."  
  
"How do you figure that?" Wufei questioned.    
  
Duo sighed.  "Grab a ball and get over here." He said.  Glancing at each other, they did what Duo told them to and went out to half court.  "Alright, shoot." He said.    
  
Wufei blinked a few times, staring at him.  "We can't make that shoot."  
  
"Just try it." Duo said.    
  
Sighed, Trowa dribbled the ball a couple of times then shot.  He missed the hoop by a few feet.  Wufei shot after him, missing by about the same distance.  Heero was the last to shoot.  He managed to bounce the ball off the rim and onto the floor.   
  
Duo watched as all three of them missed.  "Alright.  I can safely say that give it a week and I'm sure all of you can make it."  
  
"I can make it...sometimes..." Heero muttered.  
  
"It's all in your form." Duo said.  "With every shot, your form changes."**

"Who taught you to shoot?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Howard." Duo answered, taking his shot, scoring.  "Out at half court, add more forward pressure when shooting, and push on your feet more while rotating your hip.  You still might not make it at first, but with practice, it won't be long before you can."    
  
"Wait, your saying Howard, our coach, taught you to shoot?" Wufei questioned.  
  
Duo nodded.  "Howard is a friend of the family.  He's the one that got me interested in basketball."  
  
"If he teaches here, and he taught you to play, then why did you go to Oz High instead of here?" Trowa asked.  
  
Duo sighed.  "Most of my friends went to Oz, so I went there to stay with them."  He went over and tossed Heero, Trowa, and Wufei's ball back to them then grabbed his own.    
  
"Then they backstabbed you..." Heero stated.  "They don't sound like very good friends."  
  
"Well, their not." Duo said.  "They can burn in hell for all I care." He added darkly.    
  
Heero, Trowa, or Wufei didn't want to push the subject even more, so they continued shooting.   They eventually settled on a game of two on two.  Trowa and Wufei were going against Heero and Duo.  After one game, everyone else on the team piled into the room, everyone of them panting heavily.    
  
Howard walked up in front of them, grinning.  "Now you know what happens when you don't do as I tell you." He said.  
  
"But Coach, he's an Oz crony!" Shouted a voice from the group.  
  
"Oz crony?! Can't you people fucking come up with something better then that!?" Duo snapped, turning to face them.  "In the past two days I've been called that more times then I care to comprehend.  Come up with something more fucking original!"    
  
The room went silent as Duo ranted.  When he was done, everyone was staring at him.  Howard tried to hide the smirk from his face, and was failing miserably.  Duo knew that Howard wouldn't be mad at him, and figured that a few of the team members would be a little pissed at him, but he didn't care.  
  
"Well, it's time to start practice." Howard said.  "I want everyone to line up and we're going to run suicides."  Everyone who was outside running with Howard, because they didn't want to practice with Duo, groaned.  "Stop whining you babies, its your fault you had to run two miles.  Now move!" Howard ordered.    
  
Everyone ran to borderline, and started running when Howard blew the whistle.  They ran up to the other borderline and back, then two thirds of the way up the court and back, then one third of the way up to the court and back.  They continued for about fifteen minutes.  After they finished their suicides, they had a small scrimmage before heading to the showers.    
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Duo left the school, his hair still dripping wet.  He just pulled it back into the ponytail. Knowing his hair would take long enough to dry to begin with, but if he had braided it, by third hour the next day, it would still be wet.  He was sitting in his hummer, the door still opened.  He had promised to give Quatre a ride home after his orchestra rehearsal.    
  
Smiling, Quatre walked over to the driver side of the Hummer.  "How was practice?" He asked, looking up at Duo.  
  
Duo shrugged.  "Everyone but me, Heero, Wufei, and _Trowa_ had to run two miles outside for refusing to practice at first." He said, making sure to emphasize Trowa's name, teasing Quatre.  
  
"Shut up..." Quatre grumbled, going over to the passenger side and getting into the oversize truck.    
  
"Why don't you just talk to him?  He's so totally gay." Duo said, shutting his door and turning the vehicle on.    
  
"How do you know that?!" Quatre asked.    
  
Duo chuckled.  "It's called gaydar, Quatre."  Duo thought about something for a moment.  "I know, I'll talk to Trowa for you tomorrow at practice."  
  
"You'll do no such thing!!" Quatre exclaimed.    
  
"Why not? You do like him." Duo stated.  
  
"So?! That doesn't mean he likes me.  Besides, you don't even actually _know_ if he's gay.  You're just assuming." Quatre stated.  
  
"You never know if you don't say something!" Duo stated.  
  
"But...but...the intimidation..." Quatre muttered.  
  
"He's not that damn bad." Duo said as the pulled into the driveway of Quatre's house.  "Bye Quatre."  
  
"Bye Duo, and don't talk to him!" Quatre said, leaving the Hummer.  Smiling, Duo left the house and drove towards his own house.


	4. Chapter Four

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Shori**** Musei:**  I think everyone loved that line.    
**Tia:**  Of course it will work out... I always have it work out... -____-;;  
**White Destiny:**  Sorry....it's gonna be 5x2.  -____-;; I polled a bunch of people I talk to ...and most of them said 5x2.  Glad you like it though!  
**rinkurocks****:**  Here ya go! Sorry it took so long.  I've been busy.  
**Reaper of the damned:**  I would be up to chapter five if I had the time to write, but with school, it's kinda hard.  
**gundam06serenity:**  glad you like it.  
**LadyDragonWolfKnight****:** More like Duo will talk to Trowa... Quatre wouldn't do it.  -____-;;   
**Lisha****:** -____-;; I don't know you either... __  
**Blake-Schawarz:**  That's...freaky... o_o  Sorry this took so long to get this to you.  
**mar****:**  Sorry....it's 5x2... -____-;; This is what I get for asking a bunch of 5x2 fanatics...  
**Cat Youkai:**  Stay away from the sharp objects.  Yes, Duo is going to talk to Trowa.  And I don't know.  It's not like I enjoy the sport. -____-;; I hate when basketball is on over something I WANT to watch.  
  
**Notes:**  Okay, choosing to have them play basketball was the worse idea I've ever had.  *whines* I don't know enough about basketball to write out the basketball games!! -____-;; oh well, I'll deal with it....some how.  If I got something wrong in it, please tell me.  Although, it won't be very detailed.  I'll have to get in touch with a few basketball loving friends to help out for the state finals part.  
  
**Chapter Two**  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The entire Gundam High basketball team sat in the lockers of OZ High.  It was the first game of the season, and most of them were pretty nervous.  They were supposed to start the season playing against Romefeller High, but they had a small change of plays when Oz and Romefeller switched spots.   Now, they're spirits weren't so high.  Against Romefeller, the Gundam High team thought it would be an easy win.  However, now that it's against OZ High, they don't think that anymore.  
  
Howard shook his head.  "C'mon guys! We can beat them!"  
  
"You always say that coach!"  Brad said.  "But they always win!"  
  
"Yeah, the only difference is this time Maxwell is on our side, but that's not going to be enough!" Jack stated.  
  
"Isn't that enough?" Howard retorted.  "Or would you like Marquise too?"  
  
"If you had him here I wouldn't be here." Duo stated dryly.  "Besides, as far as talent goes, both teams are evenly matched."  
  
"How the hell do you figure that?" Shawn asked.  
  
Duo sighed.  "Alright, you wanna know why OZ always seemed to have the upper hand?" Everyone nodded.  "It's because every time someone new comes out of the court, their analyzed to death.  The first thing OZ players are taught is to analyze their opponents, to know their weaknesses of the game."  
  
Heero stared at Duo.  "Seriously?"  
  
Duo nodded.  "That's all it is.  That's their big secret."   
  
"So, couldn't we do the same to them?" Wufei questioned.  
  
"Yeah, we can." Duo answered, standing up and stretching.    
  
Howard nodded.  "Let's try it, and while you're sitting on the bench, be watching the OZ players."  After a round nods, Howard grinned. "Then let's go out there and win!"  
  
The team piled out of the room, and ran into the OZ High gym.  The bleachers were filled with OZ and Gundam High supporters.  OZ cheerleaders were on the sidelines, doing cheers and their pyramids. Duo rolled his eyes as Hilde winked and waved at him.  
  
"Girlfriend?" Wufei questioned beside him.  
  
"She wishes." Duo replied.    
  
"Well, Zechs still remembers you." Trowa said, pointing to Zechs.  He was still sporting a black eye and glaring at Duo.  The braided boy smiled, blew a kiss at Zechs and waved.  Zechs looked away and Duo chuckled.   
  
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Heero questioned.  
  
"Yes, quite a lot." Duo replied, grinning.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first game of the season! Gundam vs. Oz!" The announcer said over the PA system.  The announcer went on talking about who was starting on both sides.  After a small (okay, not really) pep talk from both sides, their players headed out onto the court.  
  
"Maxwell, you're tipping off!" Howard called to him.  
  
Duo whirled around to him.  "What?! I can't tip off!"  
  
"Too bad, you're doing it!"  
  
"Have Heero do it!"  
  
"No!" Howard glared at Duo through his sunglasses.  
  
Duo sighed.  "Fine..." He walked out into the middle of the court where Zechs was waiting.    Zechs stood there waiting, his blonde hair pulled back into a thin braid.  Standing at the same height as Duo, Zechs ice blue eyes glared at Duo as he approached.    
  
Duo walked up to Zechs and the referee. His face held no facial expression as Duo stared at his former friend.  Bringing the whistle to his lips, the referee blew hard.  "I want a clean game!" He shouted. "Shake on it!"  
  
Neither boy moved.  They both stood there, glaring at each other.  The room became silent as they stared at the two.  Their teammates looked back and forth from each other, wondering what they should do.  
  
"Maxwell!"  
  
"Marquise!"  
  
Both boys turned to look at their coaches.  "Shake his hand!" They shouted in unison.  Sighing, Duo reluctantly held out his hand.  Which the same reluctance, Zechs held grabbed Duo's hand and shook it.  A ball as tossed to the referee, then Duo and Zechs got ready for the tip-off.  The ball was tossed into the air, and both boys jumped.  Duo smacked the ball towards Heero.  
  
Heero caught the ball, and tossed it towards Wufei, who caught it.  Wufei dribbled, heading towards the opposing goal.  He stopped and tossed the ball to Trowa before he was covered on all sides with OZ players.  From where he was, Trowa had the perfect shot.  He took a quick second to take aim before shooting.    
  
"Gundam High scores the first points of the game!!!" The announcer said as two points were tacked onto the 'Visitors' side of the score board.  
  
To the players, the game seemed to go too fast.  Towards the end of the game, the score was tied, 68 to 68.  Both teams were on the court, panting heavily.  There was enough time for one team to score, if it could be achieved, or they would have to go into overtime.  
  
The players for Gundam High were huddled on their side of the court.  "Alright, if we can keep Duo free, we just have to get the ball to him." Heero stated.  
  
"I can't shoot, they'll be all over me once the whistle sounds off." Duo stated.  
  
"We'll keep them off you." Wufei stated.  "Just be sure to be at half court."  
  
Duo nodded.  "Alright, I'll be there."  The group broke off, and went to their positions.    
  
Heero stood face to face with Zechs in the tip off.  The ball was tossed up, and Heero smacked it towards Wufei.  Catching it, Wufei immediately threw it towards Trowa.  Duo waited at the at the half court line, and caught the ball when Trowa tossed it to him.    
  
Duo stole a glance at the score board. 0.00.10.  _Plenty of time,_ Duo thought.  He took aim and started his shot.  He didn't notice Zechs running up to him.  The ball had barely left his hand when Zechs collided with Duo, sending his to the ground and sliding across the floor.


	5. Chapter Five

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
MC-88:**  Glad you like it! This story will start being updated on a more regular basis.    
**Blake-Schawarz:**  That is freaky.    
**Tia:**  Yes, it would be a foul. -____-;; and I'm getting to the yaoi....eventually.  
**Mithros****:**  I'm glad you like it.  I'll work on getting the chapters out as quickly as I can.  
**yuki****:**  I like 5x2...besides, it's AU, so I can have them get along or be worst enemies. ^__^  
**hcbenitez****:**  I don't like it either....I don't know why I chose the sport...I should have picked football.  I know loads about football.**  
LadyDragonWolfKnight:**  Hey, there is actually history between Zechs and Duo....but we'll get to that later.**  
Lisha:**  ^_^ You know I'm joking.  
**Cat Youkai:**  No, you can't kill Zechs....I still need him.  
  
**Chapter Two**  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Duo stormed into the locker room with the rest of the team.  Many of the players were keeping their distance from the braided player.  Duo's shoulder was all red from hitting the cold hardwood floor, and it was no doubt going to bruise.  Once inside the locker room, every one started to change.  Duo flinched when he raised his arms too quickly.  
  
"Duo, are you okay?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Yeah, bloody fucking wonderful," Duo muttered.  
  
"Maybe you should go to the nurse tomorrow," Heero suggested.    
  
"I don't need to go to the damn nurse," Duo stated.  He finished changing and threw his clothes into his bag.  "Stupid fucking blonde bimbo...." he muttered.  
  
"Duo, you're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Of course not," Duo said.  "But, I'll be right back," he added, leaving the room.  Heero, Trowa, and Wufei quickly glanced at each other before running out after him.  They saw Duo go into the other locker room, and didn't hesitate to run after him.  
  
Duo stormed into his former locker room, and walked past everyone, who stared, but didn't get in his way.  The braided player went up to Zechs and, from behind, grasped his hand and smashed it into a locker.  Zechs slumped to the ground, grasping his nose.  
  
The blonde looked up and glared at Duo.  "What the fuck is your problem Maxwell?!"  
  
"My problem is you!" Duo shouted.  "Where in the hell do you get off pulling a stunt like?!"  
  
Zechs growled and got off the floor.  "You of all people are one to talk! You fucking walk in here like you're still on the team and bash my face into the locker!"  
  
"Oh, I'll do more then that you blonde fuck!" Duo stated, sending his fist into Zechs face.    
  
Zechs fell back into the locker, rubbing the blood from his chin.  "Asshole!" He growled.  Pushing off the locker, Zechs tackled Duo around the waist, shoving him into a set of lockers.  Zechs grasped Duo's throat, and bashed his head against the lockers.  
  
"Zechs!"    
  
"Duo!"  
  
Duo felt Zechs' hands being removed from his throat, and being pulled off him.  He went to punch Zechs again, but had both of his hands being restrained.    
  
Heero, Wufei, and Trowa pulled Duo from the floor.  Across the room, Zechs was being held back by Treize, Alex, and Mueller. Zechs was bleeding from his busted lip and nose, while Duo had a small gash on the back of his head that oozed crimson, and was no doubt going to be bruised around his neck.  
  
"Duo! Leave him alone!" Trowa said.  "He's not worth it!"  
  
"No kidding, Zechs!  He's not worth getting kicked off the team for!" Treize said to the seething blonde.  
  
Duo growled softly as he was pulled from the locker room.  "I'll see you at state Zechs," he promised.  
  
"Defiantly, and I'll be ready to kick your ass," Zechs retorted.  
  
                                                                ~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Maxwell, what were you thinking?!" Howard asked.  "We won the game!  You didn't have to pull this shit!"  
  
Duo rolled his eyes.  "You think I care?  The blonde priss had it coming."  
  
Howard's eye twitched.  "I don't care if he had it coming!!" He shouted.  "I didn't feel like spending our first victory being bitched at by the OZ coach because the two of you decided to have a testosterone battle!" He stated.  "Now, this isn't going to happen again, and if it does, you're suspended for the rest of the season! Now get our ass out there and get ready for practice."  
  
Duo sighed.  "Fine."  He stood and left.  He walked down the hall and into the locker room.  He walked past his teammates and grabbed his bag.  
  
"What happened?" Shawn asked.  
  
"Nothing...but got my ear chewed off," Duo said.  "If it happens again, I'm suspended for the rest of the season."  He pulled the bag up to his shoulder.  "I'll see you all tomorrow," he said and headed for the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Wufei asked.  
  
"I need the day off," Duo stated.  "I'll be back tomorrow."


	6. Chapter Six

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Blake-Schawarz:**  Well, yeah, technically it is, but I didn't feel like dealing with it.    
**Tia:**  I would, but I wouldn't get much money.    
**sg****:** That happens because my computer is stupid.  
**Cat Youkai:** No you can not kill him.  
**scarlett****-ruby:**  I'm glad you like it.  
**MC-88:**  ^_^ Sorry this has taken awhile....again...  
**Akennea****:**  ^_^ I am!  
**Mithros****:**  ^_^ Zechs is going to get his just desserts.   
**LadyDragonWolfKnight:**  I'm getting to the problem between them in this chapter....or the next one...  
**Kalechan****:**  I'm not sure about the pairing yet! The more I plot, the harder it becomes to choose.   
**livingwater89:**  I'm glad you like it. The pairing is still undecided...-___-;; which is really bad because I plan on having the yaoi within the next two or three chapters.  I guess the pairing will be decided when I write it. *shrugs*  
  
**Notes:** Sorry this took so long to get out.  I've been working on a lot of other unfinished fics.  
  
**Chapter Six**  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Duo lay on his bed, tossing a basketball up into the air and catching it just inches from his face.  It was a Saturday, and he had no plans.  He was still pissed about the basketball game, which was four games ago, but he didn't care.  Quatre had asked Duo if he wanted to go somewhere, but the brunette had declined.  He wasn't in the mood to go anywhere or really do anything.  

"Yo, Duo.  Why ya bumming 'round here?" Duo sat up to find his brother, Solo, standing in his doorway.

"I don't know.  I don't really doing anything," Duo responded.

"So come outside, we're shoot some hoots," Solo suggested.

"I'm not really in the mood for playing a game today," Duo stated.

Solo looked his brother over.  "Ya feel okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Duo said, putting on his usual smile.  

"Well, ya want to go out and toss a baseball 'round?" Solo asked.

"Sure." Duo pushed off his bed and bounded over to the door.  

Solo smile, draping his arm around Duo's shoulders.  "Ya wanna talk about it?"

"Nah, I'll be fine," Duo stated, pushing his brother off him.  

"Alright, just checking," Solo stated.  "It's my job as the big brother."

"I thought your job was to be a pain in the ass," Duo stated.

"That, too," Solo agreed, chuckling softly.  He gently pushed Duo out the door, grabbing a baseball from the bucket next to the door.  Duo grabbed a catcher's mitt and headed a little way down the field.  Solo grabbed another mitt, and tossed the ball at Duo.

"So, how long until you have to head back to school?" Duo questioned, catching the ball.  

"A week.  I needed a mental health week," Solo told him.

"School too much for you?"

"No...I just needed a break from school," Solo stated.  "And there's better way to get away then to come home and spend time with my baby brother."

Duo growled.  "Can you drop the baby part of that title?"

Solo grinned. "Nope!"  Duo rolled his eyes.

Just then, their mother came outside, smile on her elderly face.  "Duo! A friend of yours his here!"

"Send him out back, ma!" Duo shouted.

"Alright! There's not need to shout! I'm not that old, yet!" She said with a laugh before going back inside.

Duo shook his head, laughing softly.  "I swear I'm putting her in a home soon," he joked.

"I get to pick the home," Solo stated.

"Deal," Duo agreed.

"Hey, Duo!" Quatre said as he exited out of the back of the house.

"Hey, Quatre!" Duo said.  A smiled broke out on his face when he saw the goofy looking grin plastered on Quatre's face.  "Oh! Quat got some action!" He teased.

"No, I didn't! Not...yet anyway...." Quatre said, blush creeping onto his face.

Duo grinned.  "So...?"

Quatre smiled.  "He's taking me out next Friday!"

"And who is this now?" Solo asked.

Duo and Quatre turned to the other blonde. "Oh...Quatre, this is my older brother, Solo.  Solo, this is my friend Quatre."

"Hello." Quatre said to Solo with a smile.  

"Yo." Solo replied informally.

Duo rolled his eyes, tossing the baseball to Solo.  "I'll talk to you later, Solo."

"Alright, Duo." Solo waved and went back inside.

Duo smiled, turning back to Quatre.  "So, what do you need?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the movies.  I've got nothing better to do, and Trowa was busy tonight." Quatre explained.

Duo shrugged.  "Doesn't matter.  I've got nothing better to do." He grinned.  "We'll take the hummer!"

Quatre stared.  "That thing is dangerous...."

"Is not..."

"Is too..."

"No, it's not." Duo stated, picking Quatre up and slinging him over his shoulders.  "Now! To the movies!" He said, walking into the house.  "Mom! I'm going to the movies with Quatre!"

"Alright, sweetie! Have fun! Be home before three in the morning!" She replied.

"Aww, ma!" Duo whined.  

"Duo, I'm serious!"

"Fine." Duo said, grabbing his wallet from the table and walking out the front door.

"Your mom seems nice." Quatre commented.  "...and, could you put me down?"

"Oh, sure." Duo placed him on the ground.  "So, what movie?"

"I don't know.  I figured we'd decide when we got there."

"Alright." Duo got into the hummer and started it while Quatre got in on the passenger side.  Pulling out of the drive way, Duo headed in the direction of the mall.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Tia:**  Cha, please, if I can't pic between Heero or Fei for Duo, then this fic is going to turn into a 5x1x2...  
**Shori**** Muesi:**  I just added that in for no real reason...  
**LadyDragonWolfKnight****:**  Yes, a hummer.  I want a hummer.  I thought a hummer fit Duo's personality.   
**lil****-jenny:**  Sorry it's taken so long....killer writers block...it killed everything.  
**Cat Youkai:** It's a new H1 dear.  
**1x24eva:**  I'm not sure if it will be 1x2 yet.  
**Mithros****:**  lol The only one picking Q up bridal style will be Trowa...  
**PATTY 40:**  I'm glad you like it so much.  Sorry it too so long to get this chapter out.  
**Blake-Schawarz:** Yup! I figured since I killed Solo in my other Gundam Wing fic, I should keep him alive in this one.  
**RekiaReuim:** Well, he hates his old 'friends' so its not that weird.  
**Princess2000204:**  Sorry this chapter has taken so long...it kinda died for a little while...  
**Dreamlover538:**  It'll take a while before this is finished!  I have other things to work on and the writers block is deadly this month.  
**Windy****River****:**  Sorry this took so long!  
**ivingwater89:**  I'm still thinking about the pairing, but Duo won't be with anyone for a little longer.    
  
**Chapter Seven**  
  
Duo and Quatre stood outside the movies in line, waiting for the people in front of them to get their tickets and head inside.  The line was moving unbearably slow for Duo's liking, which he periodically voiced to the blonde next to him.  Quatre ignored him most of the time, use to Duo's energetic self by now.  He was going to have to get use to Duo teasing him about Trowa though, which was a whole new ball game all together.    
  
Both boys were in line to see the newest action movie that was out.  Quatre wasn't so sure about going to it, but Duo said it would be great, so he agreed.  They hadn't expected this long of a line though, so it's a good thing they were there almost and hour and a half early.  Of course, this left Duo to complain about anything and everything, not that Quatre minded.  He figured Duo has some anger issues and didn't like that he kept his emotions in until they became too much and he either blew up or beat someone up with all his rage.    
  
Duo finally finished ranting and looked at the blonde, who was still listening intently.  "So what was Trowa doing tonight?"  
  
Quatre shrugged.  "He had to help his sister tonight at the small restaurant she owns."  
  
Duo chuckled.  "So why didn't you eat there or something and be near him?"  
  
"I didn't want to be a burden..." Quatre stated.    
  
"If you were actually eating something, I doubt you would be.  Then you'd be good for business," Duo said with a smile.

"I don't even know where the place is,"  Quatre said, shaking his head, laughing softly.  "You're a spaz, Duo."  
  
Duo grinned.  "Would you want it any other way?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"I didn't think so."  
  
Quatre rolled his eyes.  "Hey, isn't that Heero?"  
  
Duo turned and sure enough, Heero was across the street with Wufei.  Both of them were waiting outside a small eatery.  Moments later, Trowa emerged from the building.  Quatre smiled.  "Call him over," Duo suggested.  
  
"What?! Why?"  
  
"So we can all go see the movie?"  
  
"But...but...what if he doesn't want to?"  
  
Duo stared at him.  "Quatre, you're so lame...." he muttered.  "Want me to call them?"  Quatre nodded.  Duo sighed and took a deep breath.  "Hey, Heero!"  When the Japanese boy looked over at them, he waved.  The other three boys walked over to them, standing next to them in line.    
  
"Hey, what are you in line for?" Heero asked.  
  
"The new Matt Damon movie," Duo said.  "Wanna come see it with us?"  
  
Wufei shrugged.  "Sure, I don't see a reason why not."  
  
Quatre smiled.  "It'll be great! Everyone says it's really good."   
  
"People over exaggerate," Duo stated.  
  
"Like you," Quatre stated.  
  
Duo mock glared at him.  "I do not over exaggerate!"  
  
"Yes, you do," Quatre countered. He was going to continue, but he was cut off by the loud shouting the trailed down the sidewalk.  
  
"Duo!!"  
  
Duo's violet eyes got wide, knowing whose voice it was.  "Shit!" He cursed.  Turning, he found Hilde running towards him.  He dodged behind, Quatre, shoving the blonde into the girl's path.  
  
"Oh, Duo! It's so good to see you again!" She said, latching onto Quatre.  
  
"I'm not Duo!" Quatre gasped feeling the rabid girl crushing a few ribs.    
  
Hilde blinked, looking up at the blonde.  She let go of him quickly, looking around for Duo.  She spotted him standing behind Heero and Wufei, using them as human shields.  "Duo! It's not nice to dodge me like that!"  
  
"It's not nice to commit murder, either," Duo stated.  
  
"I was going to commit murder!" Hilde stated.  
  
"Obviously you haven't hugged yourself recently," Duo countered.  
  
"C'mon, Duo.  Give me a hug!"   
  
"Heh...no..." Duo muttered.    
  
Hilde pouted.  "So, what are you all doing here?"  
  
"Going to see a movie," Quatre said, moving towards Trowa.  
  
"Really? What movie?" Hilde asked.   
  
Wufei opened his mouth to reply, but Duo covered it quickly.  "Nothing you'd want to see," Duo stated.  "Why don't you go find Relena and go see a chick flick."   
  
"Relena's doing something with Zechs, today," Hilde stated.  "Well, I'll see you later, Duo," Hilde said, blowing Duo a kiss before walking off.  
  
Duo gagged.  "Oh my God, I need a shower.  One that's so hot it boils off the first few layers of my skin," he said, removing his hand from Wufei's mouth.  
  
"Wow, how delusional is she?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Very...she's had this huge crush on me since freshman year," Duo stated.  
  
"So she's obsessive?" Heero asked.  
  
"Obsessive isn't even the right word," Duo muttered.    
  
They got up to the ticket booth, ordered, and paid for them.  Inside, they went to the concession stand, got popcorn and drinks, then headed for the theatre room they were in.  The group sat in the middle of the seemingly endless rows of seats.  From left to right, they sat Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei.     
  
As the previews started, people stilled piled into the room.  A small group of people sat down behind Duo and the rest of them.  Duo listened to them, recognizing one of the voices to be Zechs.  Duo smirked, tossing a few more pieces of popcorn into his mouth.  
  
"Hey, Marquise, isn't that Maxwell?" One of the other guys asked, and Duo recognized their voice as being Alex.  
  
"Yeah, it is," Zechs whispered.  "Looks like him and the rest of the losers decided to see a movie, too."  
  
Duo growled softly.  "Ignore them," Heero muttered next to him.  "Getting into a fight here isn't a good idea."  
  
"I know, I know..." Duo muttered.  
  
The braided boy sat there as Zechs and his friends continued talking through the previews.  He listened to every word to what was said, waiting for Zechs to be stupid enough to say the wrong thing.  They became quiet as the movie started.    
  
Duo was so engrossed in the movie; he didn't hear the people moving behind.  Behind the braided boy, Zechs moved up behind him, and blew onto his earlobe.  "Jesus Christ!" Duo shouted, whirling around to glare at Zechs.    
  
Zechs fell back into his chair, laughing, along with everyone with him.  "Oh, Maxwell, that was great.  I really needed a good laugh," he said.    
  
Duo growled, and was going to jump over the chair when Heero stopped him.  "He's not worth it," Heero stated.  "You can always kick his ass during a basketball game."  
  
Duo glared at Zechs before grinning.  "Hey, Zechs, come closer for a minute," he said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Do you think I'm stupid, Maxwell?" Zechs asked.  "I get close enough and you'll hit me."  
  
"No, I won't, I promise," Duo said.  "And if I do, then I'll drop out of basketball."  
  
Zechs grinned slightly. "Fine..." The blonde got closer to Duo, small smile on his face.  "What do you want, loser?"    
  
"Just to give you something to remember me by..." Duo stated.  Zechs looked at him oddly.  The brunette answered the unspoken question, grabbing the blonde by the back of the head and pulled him down quickly, pressing their lips together.  Zech's eyes widened as he tried to pull away.  Duo released him, turning around and popping more of the popcorn into his mouth, grin present on his face.  He heard Zechs and his party leave their seats and the theatre. 


	8. Chapter Eight

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Crysania Fay:** Glad you like it!  
**Blake-Schawarz:** Hehehe, Oh, I didn't even think of using rumors. Thanks for the idea!  
**MC-88:** I know it was short, but I couldn't think of anything else for the chapter. This chapter will be longer.  
**RekiaReium:** Hello, this is DUO we're talking about! Of course the revenge will be a little far out there.  
**Princess2000204:** This will get updated more often. I just had a major amount of writers block and it killed EVERYTHING!   
**Link Worshiper:** I'm not sure about the pairing yet!  
**DarrkKatt****:** I know nothing about basketball... So I'm just winging it!  
**Windy****River****:** This soon enough!  
**Tortured Artist 666:** I'm glad you liked it!  
**PATTY 40:** I'm glad you like it. Updates for this will come quicker since school is out and I have the time for it.  
**Thalia16:** There's a reason behind it! And that reason will come out either in this chapter or within the new two chapters.  
**crazy-lil-nae-nae:** I'm glad you like it.  
**Mithros****:** Okay! gives you Duo There you go!  
**Dreamlover538:** The ending was a spur of the moment idea, and I liked how it came out, so I stuck with it.   
**Solo D. Maxwell-Yuy:** Um, hi.  
**Nikkler****:** I'm glad you love it!  
  
**Chapter Eight  
  
**The small group of friend's sat at a table inside a small Chinese restaurant. Trowa and Quatre sat on the side next to the wall. Heero and Duo sat on the side closest to the kitchen. Wufei sat on the end closest to the door. After the movie, they decided to get something to eat.  
  
Duo sat staring into his plate. He knew what he did was a big shock to everyone, not that he cared. It would get Zechs to leave him alone. Sure, he would have to explain himself, but he didn't care. That was an easy thing to explain, he thought. He knew eventually he would have to anyway.  
  
"So, does anyone know what they want?" Their waitress asked. Everyone ordered what they wanted and gave the waitress their menus before she left.   
  
Wufei took a sip from his glass of water and looked at Duo, serious expression on his face. "What was that stunt you pulled in the movie?"  
  
Duo blinked. "You mean Zechs' horrible kiss?"  
  
"The one you gave him, yes," Wufei said.  
  
Duo shrugged. "Just something to get him off my back for a while."  
  
"Is he homophobic?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Not...quite..." Duo said slowly.  
  
"So he's gay?" Heero inquired.  
  
"Bi, actually," Duo stated. "But he doesn't like people to know."  
  
"So did you two date at one point?" Quatre asked.  
  
Duo shook his head. "He's one of those really paranoid people in relationships, and then once he breaks up with the person, he either hates them, or thinks that they can be friends with benefits. Of course, those who are friends with benefits have no problem with that. However, I'm not really into being friends with benefits with anyone, and we were too good of friends for him to hate me if we did date, so we didn't go out."  
  
Quatre shook his head. "That's kinda confusing to think about."  
  
Duo shrugged. "Not really."  
  
"What happened between you two?" Trowa asked.  
  
Duo sighed, taking a drink from the glass of water that was given to them when they were seated. "Alright, I was going out with this one guy who goes to Romefeller, and I took him to this party that Alex had at his place. Well, everyone liked him. I mean, what wasn't to like? Tight ass, great smile with the personality to match. So, I left him in the room with everyone while I went to go talk with Treize about something. However, I made the mistake of leaving my boyfriend with a drunk and horny Zechs. I walked back into the living room to find Zechs and him making out."   
  
Duo shrugged, stopping as the waitress brought their food. Once the plates were passed out and she left, he started again as everyone started eating. "I yelled at both of them, broke up with my boyfriend on the spot, and left the house. That next Monday at school is when I beat the shit out of Zechs," Duo finished. He shrugged, putting a piece of chicken into his mouth.  
  
"You seem way to calm discussing this," Heero commented.  
  
Duo shrugged again. "I don't believe in holding grudges."  
  
"It's bad karma to hold a grudge," Quatre said.  
  
Duo chuckled. "I just think the person holding the grudge feels like shit when they do."  
  
"So, why does Zechs hate you?" Wufei asked.  
  
"I don't know. I didn't do anything to him, unless he hates me for embarrassing him in front of the whole school," Duo stated.  
  
"It was his own fault, though," Heero said.  
  
"I know, but he thought I was overreacting," Duo replied. "But, he's a stupid blonde bimbo, so I don't care what he thinks."  
  
Trowa sighed, shaking his head. "Sounds like a stupid disagreement to me."  
  
"How would you feel if you saw Quatre making out with some guy?" Duo countered.  
  
Trowa glanced at Quatre then back at Duo. "Good point..."  
  
"See, people thought that this was something stupid until they stop to think and put themselves in my place," Duo stated. "I mean, Treize understands why I did it, but he is usually very understanding to stuff like this."  
  
Heero smirked. "Duo, did you really glue roses to his car?"  
  
Laughing, Duo shook his head. "Nope, that wasn't me."  
  
"Why were roses glued o his car?" Wufei asked.  
  
"It was an April Fools joke last year," Duo said. "Zechs and Treize have the same car, just different colors. Well, Alex meant to glue the roses to Treize's car, but couldn't remember which was his, so he guessed."  
  
"He did a really bad job of guessing then," Quatre commented. Duo nodded, laughing softly. "But, why did he want to glue roses to Treize's car?"  
  
"He loves roses, for some strange reason, so for April Fools we decided to give him roses," Duo said. "They went to Zechs instead, though."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Wufei stood, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a ten dollar bill, and tossed it onto the table. "Okay, I have an essay to finish before tomorrow. I'll see the four of you later," he said, grabbing his letterman's jacket and waving as he left.   
  
"Yeah, I need to go too," Quatre said, standing as well.  
  
"I'll drive you," Trowa said, standing, reaching into his pocket and tossing some money onto the table, enough for Quatre and himself. "See you," Trowa said, grabbing his jacket and leaving with Quatre.  
  
Duo watched them leave out of the corner of his eyes. "They really are cute together," he commented.  
  
Heero nodded in agreement. "It's about time Trowa found someone. He's been out of the closet for a year now and still hadn't found anyone."  
  
"It's nice that they've found each other," Duo stated. He finished off the water in his glass and stood. "C'mon, let's go do something. I'm bored now." He tossed a few bills onto the table.   
  
Heero chuckled softly. "Alright." He tossed his own money onto the table and grabbed his jacket. "You really need a Gundam High letterman's jacket."  
  
"Why? What's wrong with this one?!" Duo asked.  
  
"It's OZ..."  
  
"Oh, yeah..." Duo rolled his eyes, walking towards the door. "I think mine's coming in tomorrow. At least that's what Howard told me."   
  
Heero smiled. "Good, then you can burn that one."  
  
"I'm not going to burn it! I've had this since freshmen year!" Duo stated, shoving Heero away from him. They left through the door, shoving each other the whole way.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Solo:** I swear, when you have a car, I'm gluing roses to it.  
**PATTY 40:** Yeah, I'm not doing so well at writing long chapters for this story.... I do so much better with Lost...  
**LadyDragonWolfKnight****:** He kissed Zechs so that blondie boy would leave him alone.  
**Blake-Schawarz:** Yay! Someone noticed that Duo's a hypocrite.   
**Link Worshiper:** I know the pairing...I finally decided on it...after the fic wrote itself....   
**MC-88:** I'm glad you liked it.  
**Shori**** Musei:** Nope, I didn't. Well, I updated other stuff.  
**RekiaReium:** I'm glad you liked it.  
**Princess2000204:** I don't think I took that long to update this.  
**Tortured Artist 666: **lol I'm glad you like it enough to keep reading the same stuff over and over.  
**Cat Youkai:** They so were not on their way to the motel to have sex...   
**Thalia16:** It was some strange idea that popped into my mind. I actually have a really crude and sadistic sense of humor.  
**Windy****River****:** I try to update as much as I can.  
**DarrkKatt****:** I'm glad you love it!  
  
**Chapter Nine**  
  
Duo sat in the gym, waiting for the rest of the team. His last class was let out a few minutes early when their teacher got a call saying he had to leave. The brunette went straight to the locker room and changed into his uniform. Just like Howard had promised, his letterman's jacket came in. It now hung next to his letterman's jacket from OZ high, but there was enough space so they wouldn't touch.   
  
Duo looked up when Heero walked through the door and headed in his direction. He smiled slightly, thinking about current realizations. He finally admitted to himself that he had a tiny crush on his teammate. He wouldn't admit that out loud. The Japanese youth was someone that confused his gaydar to no end.  
  
Duo watched out of the corner of his eye as Heero sat down. He couldn't help but watch as each muscle either tensed or relaxed with Heero's agile movement. He was sure that the Japanese youth knew that he was staring at him occasionally, but he never said anything. He figured if it bothered him enough, he'd speak up.   
  
"Are you nervous?" Heero questioned.  
  
"About what?" Duo asked, eyebrow raised in confusion.   
  
"If we win this next game, we go to state," Heero stated.  
  
Duo shook his head. "No, I'm no nervous. This year we're going to win," he said. "I have a record of being on the first place team to keep in tact."  
  
"You forget, Zechs has that same record to keep in tact," Heero countered.  
  
Duo shrugged. "I know, but he can't shoot from half court."  
  
Heero nodded. "I guess you're right. The rest of them team is stoked about going because of having you on the team, but I can't help but worry."  
  
"You doubt my skills?" Duo asked with an absolute scandalized look on his face.  
  
"No, I don't," Heero stated, shaking his head. "But, what if Oz does something that completely pisses you off and makes it so you can't play?"  
  
Duo stared at him. "I won't do anything stupid," he said. "I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the team or my scholarships."  
  
"How many scholarships do you have?" Heero questioned.  
  
"Three, all for basketball," Duo muttered.   
  
"Do you wish that you hadn't started playing here?" Heero asked.  
  
Duo shrugged. "Sometimes. It would be nice to have the free time, but if I don't play, I lose my scholarships."   
  
"Why weren't they taken after your fight?"  
  
"They sops weren't called and no one pressed charges. If Zechs had pressed charges, then they probably would have. Even if the fight was his fault."  
  
Heero started at Duo for a moment. "But, you said that you kicked his ass, so how was it his fault?"  
  
Duo sighed. "That morning, we were all in the locker room, and he started shooting his mouth off about the guy from Romefeller, saying what a good fuck he was. I told him to shut the hell up and said a few other things. He threw the first punch after I said something he didn't like so I beat the crap out of him."  
  
Heero shook his head as the rest of the team filed in. "Well, I guess it's time to run until our legs fall off," he joked, standing and walking over. Duo nodded, following the Japanese youth.   
  
Howard stood there, arms crossed over his chest as the team made a semi-circle around him. "Alright, men! This week is the deciding game that determines if we go to state or not. Now, I know you're all excited about it, but its best not to get to hubris. There's a chance that something could go wrong and we could lose. That's why practice this week is going to be extra tough. Now, I want everyone in two lines for stretches!" he ordered. Everyone ran into the line they belonged in and got ready for the stretches.   
  
  
  
Duo walked slowly towards his hummer, dragging his bag behind him. Practice had been tough, each of his muscles throbbed with pain. He wanted to get home and take a long hot shower. Some of the other guys had decided to go to a movie and asked him go to, but he declined.   
  
"Hey, Duo!" Heero called to him.  
  
Duo turned and waited for him to catch up. "Yeah, what is it?"

Hero stopped to catch his breath. "Are you going home?"   
  
"Yeah, that's generally what I do after practice," Duo sated.  
  
"Well, do you want to come over?" Heero asked. "My parents have been dying to meet you and I figured we could do something."  
  
Duo thought about it for a moment. "Well, I was going to go home and take a long hot shower..."   
  
"We have a hot tub," Heero stated.  
  
"Okay, I'll come over, but we'll have to stop by my place first," Duo agreed. Heero nodded and followed Duo to his vehicle.  
  
  
  
Duo followed Heero into his house, his bag slung over his shoulders. He looked around, taking in the layout of the house. He watched as Heero tossed his keys onto the hook in the kitchen and took off his shoes. Duo followed Heero's example, bending down to unlace his boots.  
  
"Why do you wear combat boots?" Heero questioned.  
  
Duo shrugged. "They don't wear out as quickly as other shoes."  
  
Heero nodded, walking towards the back of the house. Duo walked after him, looking around at the new surroundings. They walked into a room with an indoor pool and jacuzzi. Heero pointed over to a door a little beyond the deep end of the pool, "There's a bathroom over there for you to change in," he said.  
  
Duo nodded. "Thanks," he said, walking over to the door.   
  
"No problem. I'll be back in a minute, I'm heading to my room to change," Heero said, leaving the room.  
  
Duo went into the changing room, quickly pulling off his pants and shirt. He grabbed his swim trunks from his bag and pulled them on. He undid his hair as he left the room until it was completely hanging free then pulled it up into a messy bun so it would not get wet in the hot tub. He walked over to the spa and slowly eased himself into it, resting his head against the tile lining.   
  
"You know, I knew you had long hair, but I didn't know you had a lot of hair," Heero commented from behind Duo.  
  
Duo smiled slightly. "Having long hair usually means that they have a lot of hair," he commented as Heero got into the hot tub next to Duo after turning on the jets. "So did you have fun at practice?" He asked.  
  
Heero shrugged. "It's been the same for the past three years," he stated.  
  
Duo shook his head. "It was never this bad at Oz," he muttered.   
  
They both fell into a calm silence, each allowing their muscles to relax under the gently pummeling of the water jets. Duo would occasionally sneak a peak at Heero's nearly naked form. He bit the inside of his lip and forced himself to look away.   
  
"Duo, can I ask you a serious question?" Heero inquired suddenly.  
  
"Sure, ask away. It seems to be all I've been doing for you lately," Duo declared.  
  
"Do you like me?"  
  
Duo blinked a few times. "Of course I do."  
  
"No, I mean as more then a friend."  
  
Chuckling lightly, Duo shook his head. "How could you tell?"  
  
Heero smiled slightly. "I've seen you staring at me," he said.  
  
"Hn, and here I thought I was being discrete," Duo joked. "Are you totally pissed about it?"  
  
Heero shook his head. "No, I'm not. It's actually kind of flattering."

Duo sighed. "But you don't return the feelings," he said sadly.  
  
"Well, at first I didn't think that I would," Heero admitted. "But, the more I thought about it, the more I started thinking that it wouldn't be so bad."  
  
Duo stared at him for a moment. "So, does this mean that your open to the idea and I stand a chance?"  
  
Heero smiled softly. "You stand more then a chance," he stated.   
  
Blinking a few times, the braided brunette wasn't quite sure how to respond. Heero took that as his opening and leaned over, capturing the American's lips. Duo groaned slightly against the other teen's lips, having been surprised by the sudden kiss. Slowly, he responded, lips moving together.   
  
Heero was the first to pull away, feeling the need to breath. Duo smiled, moving to straddle his teammate's thighs and press their lips together again. Tongues darted out to meet each other, dueling in a battle for dominance. The braided teen lost, not that he minded.   
  
They pulled away again and Duo rested his forehead against Heero's. "So...more then a chance?"  
  
Heero nodded. "A bigger chance then anyone out there," he stated. "So, want to go out on Saturday?"  
  
Duo thought about it. "Well, I did have plans, but sure, I'll go with you," he said, kissing the Japanese teen again.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC   
  
**Thanks To The Reviewers  
Shori Musei:**  You just read them making out!  
**LadyDragonWolfKnight:**  lol I can think of better endings...but none of them are going to happen in this story.  
**Solo:** I...don't know you...  
**Tortured Artist 666:**  Cha, I wish there was sex in the hot tub.  
**PATTY 40:**  I'm trying to make the chapters longer but it's hard for this story and I don't know why.  
**MC-88:**  Yup! Action!...and not of the Indianan Jones nature!...okay, so maybe he does kiss quite a few people during those movies...  
**Princess2000204:**  I'll try!  It's just sometimes my brain needs a break and it happens a lot when working on three stories.  
**Link Worshiper:**  Nope, Zechs will just be an ass...  
**outdone-cyrusly:** This chapter is when the next basketball match is, but it won't be very detailed since I don't eve like the sport.  Next time I write a sports fic, I'm using football.  
**Nikkler:**  The game in this chapter isn't against OZ.  That'll be in the last chapter....which is a few chapters from now.  
**DarrkKatt:**  Use your imagination and have whatever you want to happen in the hot tub.  
**RekiaReium: **lol You're such a loser  
**Mithros:**  I'm glad you love this fic.  
**Blake-Schawarz:**  In the state finals game they'll be against Oz, but in the game for this chapter, it's a none important school.  
**Cat Youkai:**  I like it too. Yummyness!   
**hcbenitez:** Yes, it has been a while, but it's good to have you back!  
  
**Chapter Ten**  
  
The last decided game before finals had been going on for almost an hour and it was nearly over.  The other team was nothing compared to the players of Gundam High.  Howard didn't even see a reason to use his best players, so they sat on the bench for most of it, watching.  Halfway through the fourth quarter, the home team (Gundam High) wasn't even trying since the score was 52-72.    
  
Duo sat next to Heero, lazily watching the game.  He didn't see why the other coach hadn't forfeited the game yet, seeing as there was no way they could win.  The players on his team were easily over a foot taller then most of the other teams players and had twice as much talent as the other team.  At this point, the braided American wanted to go home and watch TV or read a book.  The only reason he hadn't was because of the party afterwards.    
  
Once they were told who would be playing, Trowa convinced his parents to let him have a party afterwards while they were out of town.  They agreed after his lengthy presentation why he should be allowed to.  Now, Howard told them not to become too conceded and get big heads.  When he told them, Duo wouldn't get but chuckle slightly, earning a small glare from Heero.    
  
"AND GUNDAM HIGH IS GOING TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!!" The student announcer shouted and the Gundam supports and team broke out into loud cheering and shouting.    
  
                                                                                      
  
Duo sat on the couch, laughing with friends, soda in his hand.  They were all happy about the victory, and were now looking forward to beating Oz in the State Finals.  The party was ending soon, then only Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Heero, and he would be left in the house.  They were going to be staying over night just so they wouldn't have to drive home.  They had already planned on staying late to help Trowa clean up.  
  
Duo waved as the people he was talking to left and the party ended.  Sighing, he rested his head on the couch, tossing the empty can into the trash.  Heero was down next to him, with Wufei sitting in the arm chair, and with Trowa and Quatre on the loveseat.    
  
"Well, that was fun," Duo commented.  
  
Quatre nodded.  "It would have been better if I knew some of the people besides you four," he stated.  
  
The brunette American chuckled.  "Well, get out more, and you'll meet more people."  
  
Heero rolled his eyes.  "Trowa, you want to start cleaning up now?" He asked, suppressing a yawn.  
  
"Not really," Trowa answered.    
  
Quatre rolled his eyes.  "You'll have too eventually," he stated.  
  
Duo chuckled.  "Jeeze, Quatre, are you his boyfriend or his mother?" he teased.  
  
Wufei rolled his eyes, yawning.  "Well, if you want this place cleaned before we all pass out, it better get done now."  
  
"Agreed," Heero muttered, leaning against Duo.  The American teen shoved his teammate away and stood.  He eventually had the other four up and helping him clean.  It didn't take them long to have the bottom floor cleaned, and they didn't have to worry about the top floor.  When they were done, Trowa and Quatre headed to the brunette's room while Wufei headed to one of the spare rooms.  
  
Tossing the full garbage bag into the trashcan, Duo headed into the house and dropped unceremoniously onto the couch.  He rested his head on Heero's shoulder when the Japanese youth sat next to him.  "So, where are we going on Saturday?" He asked.  
  
Heero shrugged.  "I figured we'd be cliché.  You know, dinner and a movie."  
  
Duo laughed softly.  "You're right, it's cliché, but traditional."  
  
Heero shook his head.  "Well, if it's too traditional for you, think of a way to spice it up."  
  
"Well, we could go naked," Duo stated.    
  
Heero blinked a few times.  "Where did that come from?"  
  
"You asked for a way to spice it up," Duo stated.    
  
"I didn't think you'd come up with something like that," Heero stated and Duo shrugged.  The Japanese youth looked over at his friend, eyebrow raised in confusion.  "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing... I'm just thinking..." Duo stated.  
  
"About what?"  
  
Duo shrugged again.  "Nothing...everything...just about anything that comes to mind."  
  
"Can I get any specifics?"  
  
Duo sighed.  "Promise you won't get upset?" Heero nodded hesitantly.  "It's just... I always figured that I'd be with Oz whenever I went to state, and now that I'm not, it feels weird.  I mean, I like playing on this team, but I miss the old days."  
  
Heero sighed.  "Why would you want to go back there after what they did?"  
  
"If it never happened, then I wouldn't need to worry about that," Duo stated.  "And even now, I wouldn't want to go back, but it just feels different not to be with them again, and then I'll have to beat them in the final game."  
  
"You're awfully sure that we're going to win," Heero commented.  
  
"Of course our team will win!  I'm on it!" Duo said with a grin.    
  
Heero shook his head.  "When is the final game?"  
  
"In a week," Duo answered, yawning.  "I don't really want to deal with Howard before it."  
  
Heero chuckled.  "I don't think anyone does." Shaking his head, he stood and looked down at Duo.  "C'mon, let's get to bed. We'll talk about what to do tomorrow."    
  
Duo nodded, standing and taking Heero's hand.  "So, do we have our own room to sleep in? Or do we have to share with Wufei?"  
  
Heero smirked.  "We have our own room."  
  
Duo grinned.  "Hot damn!" He said, dragging Heero down the hall.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC

**Thanks To The Following Reviewers: **RekiaReium, Shori Musei, Tortured Artist 666, LadyDragonWolfKnight, jess-eklom, Link Worshiper, Princess2000204, DarrkKatt, Azukichan, Blake-Schawarz, Ookami Kage, PATTY 40, Cat Youkai, Windy River, Duo-23, Queen of the Slash, Mithros

**Notes:** Sorry this took so long, it kind of died on me....again. ¬¬ Also, there is ONE more chapter left!

**Chapter Eleven  
**  
Heero and Duo walked into the dimly littheatre, each carrying a large soda and popcorn. Quickly deciding on where to sit, they walked up the steps towards the middle of thetheatre. The braided teen went into the row first, followed by the Japanese boy. Pulling down their chairs, both sat down and tried to make themselves comfortable.

Their dinner together had remained uneventful, but both had enjoyed themselves. Duo spoke of how he first got into basketball when watching Howard play, and that he was hoping to play college ball. Heero talked about his adoptive father, Odin. He told Duo about how he was abandoned at the age of four, and that Odin had adopted him before he was five.

Both boys shared things about themselves that they would not normally tell a person. Neither was apprehensive or distrusting of the other. Eventually, Heero convinced Duo to see The Grudge with him. At first, the braided boy did not want to go, saying he thought it looked stupid.

Now they were sitting in the movie theatre, eating their popcorn as they waited for the opening credits to get over and start the movie. Duo had his feet resting on the chairs in front on him, while his popcorn bucket sat between his thighs. Heero was sitting normally in the chair, popcorn bucket in his lap.

As the movie started, a hush fell over the room, and the people watched. Each scary part made them jump, Duo included. He had stopped eating his popcorn, leaving the bucket on the ground. He would eat it on his way home, the brunette had decided.

Towards the end of the movie, Duo was hunched in his chair while he watched. He was so engrossed with the movie that he failed to notice the smirk on Heero's face. The Japanese teen formulated a plan in his head, and slowly reached over. When Duo was least expecting it, the other boy grabbed one of his hands, causing the braided boy to jump and scream.

"That' wasn't funny!" Duo grumbled thirty minutes later as they left the theatre.

Heero laughed, nodding. "Actually, it was quite funny. The look on your face would have made me money if I had gotten it on video tape."

Duo glared at his teammate. "If you had gotten that on video, I would have killed you."

"You'd have to wait until after the state game," Heero commented, "otherwise Howard would mount your head on the flag pole."

Duo rolled his eyes. "He'd have to catch me first."

Heero smiled, fishing out his keys and unlocking his car. "You up for a swim?" he asked.

Duo raised and eyebrow. "At eight at night?"

Heero nodded. "Last year my parents had a building put around the pool and had a heater installed, so now it can be used all year," he said, getting into the drivers side of the car.

Duo blinked, getting in after him. "Well, I don't exactly have anything to swim in," he said.

"Well, you could always borrow a pair of my shorts," Heero suggested.

Duo thought about it and shrugged. "Alright, that works." Nodding, Heero pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards his home.

----------

In no time at all, they made it to Heero's, changed, and were in the pool. Duo had put his hair into a messy bun again, making sure it was securely tied, so his hair would not come undone as he swam. They swam a couple laps, working off excess energy they had in their system, before resting on the stairs.

"So, you ready for the game on Tuesday?" Heero asked.

Duo nodded with a grin. "I'm ready to wipe the floor with Zechs' face."

Heero rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm proud of you."

"Why?" Duo inquired, moving down a step to sit next to Heero.

"Because you didn't do anything to Zechs this whole week, even when they came to our practice and taunted us," Heero explained.

Duo shrugged. "I'm holding it all in... I'll get him at the game," he stated.

Heero rolled his eyes again. "Just don't get yourself suspended," he muttered. "...and don't get the cops called."

Duo stuck his tongue out at the Japanese teen. "I'll have you know, I've never had the cops called on me, and they won't be called on Tuesday, either."

"We'll see about that," Heero commented, splashing Duo.

Duo glared at Heero. "Boy, you do not want me to start a water war," he stated.

"Why is that? Don't want to be humiliated by me?" Heero countered.

"No, I don't want to get charged with murder when I drown you!" Duo stated, jumping on Heero.

Heero moved further into the water, pulling Duo with him. "Duo, get off me," he said.

"No!" Duo pulled Heero the other way, trying to get him under the water.

Heero pulled Duo up and over his shoulders, sending the other teen into the water. The braided American re surfaced, his hair out of the messy bun, spilling down his shoulders, back, and chest. Violet eyes glared, but he started laughing, throwing his hair over his shoulders.

"What's so funny?" Heero asked, thoroughly confused.

Duo shook his head, pulling his hair back onto his head and tying it. "It's nothing, I just didn't think you were strong enough to flip me over like that."

Heero stared at him. "I'm not some scrawny weak kid, and you don't exactly weight a lot."

Duo nodded. "I know, but still, not many people are capable of doing that, especially when the person they're doing it to is wet."

Heero rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed, glancing at the clock on the wall. "C'mon, we better get dried off. You probably have to go soon."

Duo sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I told ma I'd be back before one so she could badger me with six million questions."

Heero chuckled. "You're mom is interesting."

"Yeah, why don't you just say psycho," Duo joked, getting out of the pool.

"Because I'm not a moron," Heero muttered, getting out after him. He left the pool area with Duo, shutting off the light as he went.


	12. Chapter Twelve: It's done

**Title:** For Love and Basketball  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, AU, OOC  
**Thanks To The Following Reviewers: **Shori Musei,LadyDragonWolfKnight, Erotica Within, Windy River, PATTY 40, Ink2, Princess2000204, Blake-Schawarz, Cat Youkai

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: LAST CHAPTER!!**

The entire Gundam High basketball team was packed into their locker room, changing for the big game. Some were doing their pre-game routines, hoping for some extra luck. Others were on the benches, relaxing within the noise. Then, if you were like Duo and Heero, you were having a push-up competition.

Howard walked over to them, grin on his face. "You two better stop before you wear yourselves out," he said, "the game will tire you out enough."

Both boys glanced at each other then nodded before getting off the floor. "Sorry, Howard," Duo replied, "I can't wait to go out and kick some Oz ass!"

Trowa shook his head, leaning against a set of lockers. "I can tell you one thing, this isn't going to be a clean game," he stated, "Zechs isn't going to lose very easily."

Heero shrugged. "Neither is Duo, but if it comes down to it, I think Duo could take him."

Trowa raised an eyebrow in question. "Are you suggesting that they should fight for the championship?"

"Wait; was I just given permission to beat Zechs into the ground?" Duo asked hopefully.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "No, Duo, you weren't," he answered. "So don't even think it."

"Alright, men, let's go win a game!" Howard called, walking out the door, the team following him. Even in the hall, they could hear the roaring of the crowd, making them even more excited. Turning on his heels, their coach turned and faced them. "Alright, we're back at the state championship. However, this time, it's different."

One of the guys snorted. "Yeah, now we have Maxwell," he stated.

Glaring, Howard shook his head. "That's not the only difference. It's different this time because this year, we're going to win!" he stated.

"Coach, you say that ever year," Heero countered.

Howard twitched. "Yuy, do you want to run laps before the game?" Heero shook his head. "Then shut up! Now, when you go out there, I don't want you to worry about all the people that are watching. I don't want you to think about how Oz has a three year winning streak. All I want you to do is to go out there and enjoy yourselves. If you just happen to win the championship, then we'll rub it in Oz's face until all those players have kids of their own in Oz."

Duo chuckled. "If we win, I will have been on the winning team for four years, and I'll be reminding Zechs of that every chance I get."

Howard rolled his eyes. "Now, I'll expect you all to play like professionals," he stated, glancing at Duo through his sunglasses. "So, let's go out there and play some basketball! Hands in!"

After some quick rearranging, all the players were in a semi-circle around Howard, arms stretched to reach the middle, where everyone's hands met. "On three," Howard called. "One, two, three!"

"Gundam!" All the players shouted at once. Laughing, Howard opened the doors, and all the players ran in, making the Gundam side of the stadium cheer louder. They went over to the benches, some sitting, the starters standing.

On the other side of the court was the Oz team, their starters standing as well. "Hello! And welcome to the last game of the championships!" called the announcer over the speakers. "Let's get this game started. Starting for Gundam High is Hero 'The Wing' Yuy!" Hearing his name, Heero walked out onto the court, the crowd behind him shouting endlessly. "Next is Shawn 'Speeder' Morgan! Watch out Oz, for as fast as he can pass the ball, you may have your work cut out for you!" Zechs couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Next up, Trowa 'Heavyarms' Barton!" Covering the microphone, he turned to his partner, "Have we figured out why he's called Heavyarms?" His partner shook his head. Sighing, the announcer uncovered the microphone. "And now we have Wufei 'The Dragon' Chang! And finally, former Oz player, and starter for Gundam High, Duo 'Deathscythe' Maxwell!"

After taking another five minutes to announce the Oz starters, Treize and Heero made their way to center court. After shaking hands, the referee put the ball between them. "Okay, and here's the tip off..." he because quiet as the ball was throw into the air and Treize shoved it towards one of this teammates. "And Oz has the ball! Alex passes it back to Treize, but look! Wufei has intercepted the ball! He takes it up the court, he shoots, and he scores! Gundam High scores the first points of the game!"

"This announcer is annoying...." Duo muttered, walking past Shawn.

Nodding, Shawn smirked. "Maybe after the game, you can _accidentally_ beam him with the ball." Laughing, Duo nodded.

Heero and Treize were back in the center of the court. "And here's the tip off. Oh, and Heero knocked it towards Duo! He has the ball and is taking it towards the center line. He's going to try for a three point shot! Oh! And he's knocked off his feet! That's a penalty!"

"Duo!" Howard rushed out onto the court, as did most of the team. "Duo, are you alright!?"

"Urgh, did anyone get the license plate of that truck?" Duo grumbled, sitting up, looking at Howard. "I'm okay."

"I'm not so sure," Howard muttered. "Lift up your arms." Duo did as he was told, crying out, bringing them back down quickly, clutching his right arm. "Yup, you're out of the game."

"What!?" Duo shouted. "I can still play!"

"Duo, just go sit on the bench, we'll handle this," Heero said, looking to the rest of the team, who all nodded.

Sighing, Duo nodded and got off the ground. He looked over, and saw Zechs with a smirk on his face. Glaring, Duo walked over towards him, ignoring his teammates. "Duo! Don't do anything stupid!" Wufei called.

Zechs didn't move as Duo got up in his face. "Can I help you, Maxwell?"

"Yeah, after Gundam High wins, I'll see you in the parking lot," Duo growled.

Zechs rolled his eyes. "Let's get on thing straight, Duo, Oz will always be number one, and Gundam will always be number two."

Duo grinned. "See, that's how it was, but now that they know how Oz plays, they can't lose."

Zechs glared. "That won't change anything," he stated. "Oz will win, and for once, you'll be on the losing team, where you belong."

The grin never left Duo's face. "We'll see about that," he said then turned around, heading back for the benches. He sat down, and everyone went back to where they belonged, except Jack, who was out on the court.

Time seemed to pass slowly as Duo sat on the bench. Both teams continued to score, and the game got dirtier and dirtier as it went on. Three Oz members were out for the rest of the game, and four Gundam players were out for the rest of the game. While being good and bad at the same time, none of the star players were out.

Finally, it was to the most exciting part of the game. There was two minutes left, and Gundam High was down by twelve points. Looking around, Howard sighed. All of the players on the court were exhausted and he called a time out, then called them in. "Alright, you five are out. Yuy, Chang, Barton, Marks, Morgan, you're in!"

"Coach, we can't do this!" Jack grumbled. "We're down by twelve and there's only two minutes left. The only way we could do this is if Duo could play and could sink three pointers."

Duo sighed, looking over at Oz high. He saw Zechs with a grin on his face, and the blonde winked. Growling, Duo stood. "Howard, put me in," he said.

"What!? I'm not going to put you in!" Howard said. "You can barely lift your arms!"

"Howard! Just trust me and put me in!" Duo pleaded.

Howard eyed Duo skeptically, ready to yell at him. Instead, he sighed. "Alright, but if we lose, it's on your head," he said.

Duo nodded. "Alright, just give me Heero, Trowa, Shawn, and Wufei." Howard nodded. Marks sat down, and the rest of them walked out on the court. "Okay, before you four start bitching, I have a plan," Duo said.

"I should damn well hope so!" Wufei cried.

Duo grinned, watching Zechs walk onto the court. "Look, all we need is four three-point shots to tie, then a two pointer to win. Well, four of us here can score three pointers."

Trowa shook his head. "Duo, first off, you can barely lift your arms, and second, the other three people who can make three pointers aren't that great at it."

Heero nodded. "I'm willing to try it," he said.

Shawn glanced at Heero, and nodded. "Just tell me where to get the ball."

"Okay, the first person Oz will go after is me, so the ball as to go to either Heero, Trowa, or Wufei," Duo stated. "I don't care who you get it to first, but after that person, get it to someone new. I'll make a shot after the second person, then we'll move onto the last. After that, whoever can make a shot better make it."

Trowa stared at Duo. "That plan...is just dumb enough to work...but, once it comes time for the two pointer, we only have one shot at it."

Wufei nodded. "And this is assuming they don't score while we're trying to catch up."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Wufei, don't be such a pessimist."

"Gundam High, are you ready?" the referee asked.

Duo nodded. "Yes sir! Okay, Heero, you've got tip off."

Hero nodded and walked out to the center of the court, where Zechs was waiting for him. "It looks like Duo Maxwell is back in the game!" called the announcer. "What a turn of events! And here we thought Maxwell wouldn't be in the game! Now, here's the tip off between Yuy and Marquise, and Yuy gets the ball!

"He's going down center court, he's ready to shoot—Wait! What's this!? He just passed the ball to Morgan! What kind of a move was that!? Oh, but Morgan passes it to Chang! He's on the half court line, what could this team possibly be thinking!? That's not going to help them! Oh, what's this? Chang lines up his shot, he shoots! I don't know if he can make it—but he does! Wufei Chang has just scored three points for Gundam High!"

Zechs glared over at Duo, who smiled and winked. Growling, Zechs stormed over to Alex. "I won't you to block Chang at all cost," he said, and Alex nodded.

"Well, that was interesting! Now is an interesting time to show everyone that he can do that!" commented the announcer. Everyone from both teams stared in shock, everyone except Trowa, Heero, and Duo. "Okay, here's the tip off, and Oz gets the ball, and Marquise takes it towards the basket! Oh, he passes to Muller, but it's intercepted by Duo Maxwell! Duo Maxwell heads up the court, he shoots! Oh! Another three points for Gundam High!

"What an amazing turn of events! Gundam High just might be able to win this game after all!" With that comment, Zechs turned and glared at the announcer.

When it came down to fifteen seconds in the game, both sides were panting heavily. Duo could feel his shoulder throbbing, but choose to ignore it. Both teams were tied, and neither was willing to let the other score. Zechs and Heero were back at half court, getting ready for the tip off.

"And Gundam has the ball, Heero Yuy passing to Shawn, Oh! Oz had taken control of the ball! Alex is quickly traveling up the court, he takes aim, he shoots—Oh! He's blocked by Duo Maxwell, who takes the chance and throws it up court towards Wufei Change! This could be it folks, Change passes top Morgan, who passes to Barton. Barton is on the rebound line, with much of Oz running towards him. He shoots—"

The gym fell into a suspended silence as they watched the ball going toward the hoop. It hit the backboard, bouncing to hit the rim. Gundam High collectively held their breath as the ball tittered before falling through the white netting. They shouted and the Gundam team ran out onto the court as their side of the gym went into an uproar with cheer.

"Gundam has won! Gundam High has won the championships!" Shouted the announcer. Emits all the commotion, Duo looked over and saw Zechs, glaring. He smirked.

----------

Duo was at the after party thrown at Shawn's house. His parents agreed to let him throw it since they had won. The party was huge, some of the parents running to get a cake, junk food, and decorations. There was a quick ten minutes of decorating before the music started playing. None of them could have been happier. After three years of coming in second, they finally beat Oz, and that alone was worth a week of celebration.

Looking over, Duo found Trowa and Quatre making out on the couch. He wasn't surprised when everyone had been excepting of them. With Howard teaching them about tolerance, it wasn't that big of a deal. Smiling, he went to find Heero, wanting to celebrate with him. He found the other player outside on the balcony, away from all the people.

"What are you doing out here? The party is inside," Duo commented, walking to stand up beside him.

Heero shrugged with a small smile. "I just wanted to be alone for a moment and enjoy the fact that we won."

Duo grinned. "I told you we would!" he said. "And with minimal injury!"

Heero rolled his eyes. "You're going to the doctor tomorrow, so stop trying to get out of it."

"Damn, but I hate going to the hospital!" Duo whined.

"Get over it!" Heero said.

Duo pouted. "Fine...so, want to go dance?"

Heero shook his head. "Just, stay out here with me for a few minutes," he said, wrapping his arms around Duo's waist.

Duo smiled, resting his head on Heero's shoulder. "So, what sport should we conquer next?"

Heero rolled his eyes. "None of them, I'm relaxing for the rest of the year."

Duo nodded. "I can deal with that," he said, turning around. "So, what's 'The Wing' going to do for fun now?"

Heero rolled his eyes. "Well, Deathscythe, if you must know, I'm going to start going to the go-karts on the weekends."

Dou's eyes widened with joy. "That sounds fun! Can we go this weekend!?"

"Depending on what the doctor says, sure," Heero answered.

Duo glared playfully. "Damn doctor..."

Heero rolled his eyes. "You'll get over it," he said.

Duo was ready to comment, but Jack came out onto the balcony. "C'mon, guys, Howard's about to make some big speech."

Duo nodded. "We'll be in there in a minute." Jack nodded and left. "This is probably going to end with him in tears," he joked.

Heero nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised," he said, leaning down, kissing Duo's lips softly. "C'mon, let's go listen to this so we can come back out here." Duo nodded, following Heero inside.


End file.
